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My cat has diarrhea. Should I feed him and when to call the vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | British Shorthair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 11 months old | 16 lbs

My cat has had diarreah since this morning. Should i hold back on feeding him and when should i consider a vets appointment please

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 18th, 2017

I would hold off feeding him thevrest of today. Try plain chicken and rice tomorrow until consistency improves. Also have him wormed. Go to the vet if he is getting dull/ dehydrated/vomiting or it is not improving.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on February 28th, 2018
This is definitely a concern, he could be allergic to the food, have worms or suffers from a gastrointestinal infection. offer him boiled boneless chicken and rice every 4-6 hours in small portions. if he is eating and not vomiting, continue with this diet for 2 days.

After 2-4 days, you can put him back gradually on his normal food.

If the diarrhea does not resolve, take him to the vet to get treatment.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on December 25th, 2018
You are doing the right thing by giving him chicken breasts and plenty of water, and I would see if the medications help over the next 24 hours. If they do not and your cat still has diarrhea, then I would take him back into the vet right away. Best of luck and happy holidays.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 22nd, 2017
Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend starting a bland diet of chicken and rice as well as a probiotic such as Purina fortiflora. I would feed this at least 3 days beyond the resolution of the diarrhea. If this does not help, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My cat has diarrhea but is active and eating. Should I call the vet?

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Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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My cat has diarrhea and accidents. What can I do until the vet?

Poor Shadow! I am sorry to hear that he is not feeling well. Until you can get Shadow to the vet (which I definitely recommend) you can with hold food for 12- 24hrs, then offer a bland diet of plain boiled chicken and rice (he may only be interested in the chicken) for about 1 - 2 days. After which you can reintroduce his regular diet. You also want to make sure that both litter boxes are extra clean. Sometimes in multi-cat households one cat decides that he/she no longer is ok using a "used" litter box (cats are wonderful, but have odd behaviors sometimes). It may be worth just keeping them separate so that Shadow has his own personal kitty bathroom until he sees the vet. As I stated earlier, I definitely recommend having Shadow seen by a vet as soon as possible because chronic diarrhea results in dehydration, which in a very small, young kitten we want to address sooner rather than later to prevent progressive potentially severe illness. I hope that this was helpful for you and that Shadow starts to feel better soon!

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What to do if my older cat has loose stools but no other symptoms?

Considering what you described, I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken/white fish and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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